Having built up a sizable base of "ninjas" (what the rapper calls his fans) with six giveaway mixtapes stocked full of accessible party raps, Connecticut's
Chris Webby finally went aboveground with this debut EP. This bit of back-story is laid out cleverly on opening cut/party rap sermon "Church," a "stupidly smart" number with Marvel Comics references ("That's like Bullseye from Daredevil losing at darts") and a defining moment in the line "I'm lyrically inclined, put my spirit in my rhymes."
Webby's spirit is that of a drunken master on the 40-chugging "What I Do," a funny smartass on "Bounce" ("Harder than granite, these bitches filled with dog food"), and the ruler of the rap game pretty much everywhere else, that last bit making it hard for a newcomer to feel at home in this
Neighborhood. Share in the excitement of
Webby gone legit and the EP feels like a gold medal hanging off your chest because past the desirable party tracks, this
Neighborhood seems designed for those who have already right-clicked his earlier "show and prove" moments. ~ David Jeffries